Flotation process



June 5, 1923. 1,457,680

1 w. A. WHITAKER FLOTATION PROCESS Filed Aug. 23, 1919 avwentoz Patented .iune 5, 1923.

' WILLIAMTA. WHITAKER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

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Application filed August 23, 1919. Serial No. 319,514.

Zo all whom itmay concern:

Be it known that .I, W1LL1AM A. WHITA- KER, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flotation Processes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a method of froth flotation applicable to the recovery from the mass of finely ground ore of oxidized material and in particular relates to the treatment of oxidized ores or like material whereby they are rendered amenable to the flotation process.

My invention consists in forming on the particles of material (such as oxide or oxidized ores, carbonates, basic carbonates, metal, or oxidized metal) which are fiotated with difficulty or not at all, films or coatings of salts or salt like compounds of metal with various organic acids which films are insoluble or only slowly soluble in water.

The thus coated particles are wetted by oil or assume characteristics whereby they I are capable of attachment to a gas bubble.

Such films I produce by bringing the finely ground material into intimate contact with various acids; compounds or mixtures hereinafter mentioned, and continuing this contact under suitable conditions of time and temperature until the film-producing reaction has become efiective.

The films produced by. myvmethod may consist of water insoluble orslightly. soluble metallic soaps or salts of the metallic constituent with fatty acids. The formation of such salts may be represented by the following equations (1) i omen ads-1 000151 Cu.(0,,H,,CQO),l-2H,.

o) @1180, 2 maroon -(QH a z 2 As indicated by the first equation, if a particle of oxidized ore is brought into reacting relation 'with oleic acid, there is formed thereon a film of copper oleate. As indicated by the other equations similar reactions will take place with copper sulfate,

copper carbonate, or with other compounds with which the ores may be coated.

The formation of the metallic soap film may also be produced by first subjecting oxidized material to the action of acetic; sulfuric, sulfurous or hydrochloric acids to form a coating of the acetate, sulfate, sulfite or chloride of the metal, which coated particles are then subjected to the action of a water soluble salt of a saturated or unsaturated fatty acid or mixtures of these to form a film or coating of a metallic salt of the fatty acid on or'aroundthe particles of already coated oxidized material.

Coatings may also be formed by moistening the oxidized particle with a suitable metallic salt solution which when brought into contact with a soluble soap solution will form a film of a water insoluble soap on the particle.

I have found that somewhat similar effects will be produced by the treatment of the oxidized materials with certain saturated fatty acids of that series of which stearic acid is a type; with unsaturated acids of which oleic acid is a type; with glycerids of the above named acids, either saturated or unsaturated. Vegetable or animal oils containing. saturated or unsaturated acids or their glycerids may also be used. 7

In each of the above mentioned examples, the result is the formation about the particle of material of a. film which is capable of being wetted by oil or has the character istics of being capable of at achment to a gas bubble.

In carrying out the method, the particles of oxidized material are brought into contact with the described reagents preferably with agitation, the reaction being generally facilitated by heat, save inthose cases where the reaction takes place readily in the cold. In some cases the reagents may be added at certain sta es during the grinding-of the ore, preferab y where 'rindmg takes place in ball or tube mills. When heat is necessary to facilitate the reaction steam may be injected, but temperatures should not reach the decomposition points of reagents used.

The thus treated particles are subjected to the usual flotation operation, the film coated particles being floated to the top and removed as a froth or otherwise while the uncoated gangue particles are not floated. V

another single coating or film.

The actions above referred to may be illustrated in the accompanying illustrative drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a section through a particle having formed thereon a single coating or film; and

Fig. 2 is a similar illustration showing the double coating.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are similar illustrations of the formation'in a different manner of In Fig. 1, l is the enlarged particle, sa of aha-sic copper carbonate, (Cu(OH) Cu O and 2 the envelope of copper o-leate', Cu(C ,H COO)' In Fig. 2, l is the enlarged particle of oxidized material, such as oxidized copper ore 2 is a layer of copper sulfate, and 3 is an envelope or film of copper oleate.

In Fig. 3, A is an enlarged cross-section of an oxidized ore particle. Fig. 4: shows the same particle .which is wetted with or has absorbed on its surface an aqueousv solution of calcium bicarbonate represented by A; while in Fig. 5 the film A has been converted by treatment with sodium-stearate, into a film of calcium stearate.

It will be understood that these diagrams are merely illustrative and are not intended to show the actual conditions existing on any particular ore particle.

I claim:

1. The process of concentrating oxidized ores and the like which consists in forming on the metal containing particles by chemical reaction, a film or envelope of an organic compound of the metal of the ore, this film orenvelope having the characteristics of capability of attachment to a gas bubble, and difiicult solubility in water, and then subjecting the thus treated material to froth flotation.

2. The rocessof concentrating oxidized ores and t e like which consists in forming on the metal containing particles by chemical reaction, a film or envelope of a waterinsoluble soap of the metal of the ore, such film or envelope having the characteristics of capability of attachment to a gas bubble, and difficult solubility in water, and then subjecting the-thus treated material to froth flotation.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

WILLIAM A. WHITAKER. 

